Improvement in electro-ballistic chronographs



P. LE BOULENGE. Electric Clock.

No. 51,905. Patented Jan. 2, 1866.

N. PETERS. Phumumo n lwn Washirlglon. DV 0 UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcraPAUL LE BOULENGE, OF ANTWERP, BELGIUM, ASSIGNOR TO FRITZ MEERT, OF NEWYORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRO-BALLISTIC CHRONOGRAPHS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 51,905, dated January2, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, PAUL LE BOULENGE, of Antwerp, in the Kingdom ofBelgium, have invented a new and useful machine for measuring with greatprecision very short periods of time, and more especially the timeoccupied by a projectile in traversing a given portion of its course 5and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,in which Figure I is a facial View of the apparatus. Fig. II is a backview. These two figures are sufficient to understand and put togetherthe apparatus. Fig. III represents the position of the piles andcircuits.

This method of computing time is based on the laws which govern the fallof heavy bodies.

My chronometer consists of a hollow metallic cylinder, to, the upperpart of which is made of steel and forms the armature of anelectromagnet. Two receiving-wrappers, b and b, are placed with a loosepressure around the cylinder and rest on the sockets c c and c 0. Theyare paper tubes rolled and glued, upon which are to be impressed themarks which serve for the measure of time. The detent or escapement isthe mechanism which makes the mark. (See the references on thedrawings.) The detent or escapement is set free by the fall of theweight c, which is also suspended by an electro-magnet, Z. The disjoinerj is, which is explained below, serves to break at exactly the samemoment the two currents which magnetize the electro-magnets 5 and l.

The ehronometer and the weight being suspended to their respectiveelectro-magnets Z and l and the escapement being set or cooked, if thefinger be applied to the knob of the disjoiner, the two circuits aresimultaneously broken and the chronometer and the weight fall. Thechronometer in its fall passes near the knife f. The weight falls on thetablet or platform of the hooked lever g and effects the release of theknife, which is thus caused to make a mark on the lower wrapper, b. Bymeasuring the height of the mark above the lower edge of the wrapper andadding five hundred millimeters-the distance of the socket 0 c of thechronometer, when in position, from the edge of the knife j -the heightof fall H is obtained, corresponding to a time, T. This time is that ofthe fall of the chronometer before the mark is made, provided the twocircuits are simultaneously broken. If, instead of being brokensimultaneously by the disjoiner, they are broken successively by thepassage of a projectile through two frame targets, breaking first thecircuit of the magnet Z, and then after a time, t, (about 0.1,) that ofl, the fall of the chronometer will precede that of the weight, and themark will in this case be made on the upper wrapper, I). To have then asecond height of fall H, (the distance of the second mark, thechronoineter being in position from the blade of the knife,)

corresponding to a time, T. The difference T T gives exactly the time toccupied by the projectile in passing from one target to the other. Be Ethat space, gwill be the speed of the projectile between the targets. Toobtain the simultaneous interruption of the two currents they are socombined that, though independent, they yet have a common point in theircircuits. A disjunction in this part operates on both circuits at once.It is effected by destroying the contact of the spring j with thethumbscrew K, which are parts of the common conductor.

Fig. 111 represents the arrangement of piles and circuits adapted toobtain this result. Two Bunsen piles of the same number of elements aremetallically joined by their carbon poles e and e. Thechrononieter-circuit, passing from the zinc pole at, passes over thefirst target c, returns to the apparatus, where it passes at d on thespool of the electro-magnet of the chronometer, and thence to the carbonpole c by the conductor (1 e. The weight-circuit follows an analogouspath by a b c d; but instead of completing its course directly by d c,this conductor is supplanted by d f c c. The partf c is therefore commonto the two circuits, and it is that part which is disconnected by thedisjoiner. Beside these circuits each electro-magnet has a secondcircuit, derived from the same pile, but wound in the contrary directionon the spool. This, which I shall call the inverse circuit, is neither2. The arrangement of piles and circuits to obtain a simultaneousinterruption without mechanical aid, as set forth.

3. Regulating the action of the electro-magnets on their armature bymeans of inverse circuits and by the substitution of steel for softiron, (fer (101000,) as set forth.

1?. LE BOULENGE.

In presence of- G. V10 MEERT, A. HUYSMAN.

